This research packet can be used as a whole for any major research project to help students plan their project and budget their time, or parts of it can be used for individual research lessons or short-term assignments. The teacher needs to walk

If a child is old enough to do a research paper, the child is old enough to learn to cite the sources for borrowed information, images, music, etc. At the same time, the youngest research paper writers shouldn’t be held to the same standards as high

As a middle school librarian, I noticed many students at this age who still struggled with alphabetizing and numerical order, both of which are important life skills. When it comes to the Dewey Decimal System, the most important lesson isn't that

This set of 4 Library Literacy posters may be used around the library to teach:
• How to Read Call Numbers
• How to read a Fiction Shelf
• How to read a Dewey Decimal-Ordered Shelf
• That there is Fiction in the Nonfiction shelves!
Many libraries

Citing a source correctly is an important lesson for students to learn in giving credit for material used for research assignments. This easy to use fill-in-the-blanks worksheet shows students exactly how a source should be cited in the MLA style.

As a librarian, I kept several different types of 'fill in the blank' forms on hand for students to use when gathering bibliographic data for their research project reference list. This was my language arts teachers’ favorite form to use. It is an

Fiction is a work of prose that includes elements from a writer’s imagination. The word genre means 'categorizing' or 'grouping like compositions' and can apply to a variety of artistic efforts in music, art, and literature. Fiction and nonfiction

Easy Bib Collector
As a librarian, I kept these 'fill in the blank' source documentation sheets in the library for students to use when gathering bibliographic data for their research project bibliography list. It is an easy way for students to

Have you ever wondered why fiction is still found in the nonfiction section of the library? Why are some books shelved alphabetically and others numerically? What is the Dewey Decimal System, and why do libraries use it? Did you know that Melvil

Good Information Empowers…. Misinformation Impedes
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Information Empowers,” as if any information will empower us. But what if the information is wrong or taken out of context or biased? With the freedom of information

Important skills learned by using the Dewey Decimal System include numerical and alphabetical order, as well as recognizing and understanding a system of organization. As teacher/librarians, we should do everything we can to encourage reading, but

Having students write a research paper on well-known figures in the present or past history is a common assignment in schools, but this assignment forces students to look deeper. Many of these people faced difficult obstacles in their lives that

This is the student notes pages that accompany the PowerPoint lesson by the same title. Answers are on the Powerpoint slides.
Evaluating Websites and Information:
Good Information Empowers…. Misinformation Impedes
We’ve all heard the phrase,

Instructions for Sorry, Mr. Dewey Student Worksheet
to be used with the PowerPoint titled: Sorry, Mr. Dewey: A Tale of Messing Up the Dewey Decimal System
Have you ever wondered why fiction is still found in the nonfiction section of the library?

This set of four research planning forms include the following topics:
*An Event that Impacted Our World
*An Invention that Changed Our World
*Something that Impacted My Life (the student's life)
*An Unlikely Leader
I've also included a page of

Lesson Objective: Students will have a better understanding of how books are ordered by common subjects in the library, as well as better understand how Dewey Decimal call numbers are arranged in numerical order from the least to the greatest, which

We are raising our children in one of the most difficult times in history when it comes to information. They have access to more information in their short lifetimes than all of the information throughout history leading up to these last two

Teachers are some of the hardest working people I know, and the demands on their time and efforts are constantly being added to, modified and ramped up to get students to pass standardized tests required by the NCLB Act. I am amazed at the

Information Litter - Recognizing Information Abuse
One of the most important lessons students should learn about information is how to evaluate it. This lesson teaches students how to recognize some of the forms of information abuse: chain letters,

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TEACHING EXPERIENCE

9 years in public school teaching journalism, art, study skills, & information literacy, 5th - 12th grades~~~
9 years as a public library director~~~
6 years as a school librarian, 5th - 8th grades~~~
1 year in a private school, elementary level~~~
3 years as a homeschool teacher~~~

MY TEACHING STYLE

I try to incorporate as many learning styles in the lessons I teach, which include lecture, reading, audio-visual, demonstration, & practice. I try to use visual aids as much as possible.

Donna is also the author of five novels and one picture book, Feathers: a Fable about Learning for Life she wrote after observing so many students who are clueless that school is preparing them for life. She has two adult children and son-in-law and three grand-children that inspire and challenge her to continue to grow and learn and create. She lives in a restored Victorian home outside of Austin, Texas, with her father. Or he lives with her. And they both live with a very sweet, emotionally-disturbed dog named Snickers.